Hope Village is a transformative housing project in Baltimore’s Historic Oliver community, designed to offer affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income and homeless families. This initiative consists of 13 compact, 440-square-foot single-family homes. Situated at Holbrook and East Hoffman streets, this vibrant, colorful community has revitalized an old alleyway into a new space for residents.
Developed through a partnership between Heart’s Place Services (philanthropist Chris and Pamela), developer Mark Sapperstein, and city officials, Hope Village is focused on creating an energy-efficient and sustainable environment. The tiny homes are tailored to promote stability, health, and a strong sense of community among residents, with shared spaces fostering connections. After six years of planning and overcoming obstacles—including a city-wide malware attack and delays from the COVID-19 pandemic—the groundbreaking took place on July 12, 2022.
On November 4, 2024, Hope Village held its opening ceremony. While families received their keys, they would need to wait a few more weeks to move in due to outstanding permits. The timing raised questions about whether the event was scheduled for publicity before the upcoming Tuesday election. Local media, including The Baltimore Sun, The Baltimore Banner, and The Baltimore Business Journal, covered the event, recognizing its significance in affordable housing. Notable speakers included Alice Kennedy, Commissioner of Baltimore’s DHCD, and Sen. William Ferguson (D-46), among other supporters.
Ferguson’s speech was filled with admiration for Chris, his wife Pam, and the entire Heart’s Place Services team for their work on Hope Village. The accolades continued from speaker to speaker, yet there was no mention of the critical support provided by community associations and activists in Historic Oliver who were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. Heart’s Place Services was not alone in envisioning a tiny home village in our community—they were the fortunate ones to receive backing from the city, banks, philanthropists, and donors.
We hope that the success of this tiny home village will pave the way for other developers in Baltimore to receive similar support from city organizations. However, the lack of representation from District 45 and other key officials was disappointing. No one from the city council office, District 45 Senate, or delegation was present, nor were any members of the Historic Oliver Community Association (OCA) or The People’s Association (TPA). Several calls were made to our direct representatives whom mostly replied, they had not been informed of this opening ceremony. While Delegate C. Young responded to our call, despite not being informed, he tried to make an appearance after attending another event. TPA informed us that they weren’t aware of the new ribbon-cutting date.
We may never know why our official representatives were not requested or present, but moving forward, we will closely monitor our community development progress to ensure that our voices are represented at these key milestones.
The success of Hope Village aligns with our vision of revitalization and sustainable living in Historic Oliver. This project has the potential to inspire similar developments across Baltimore, especially through innovative approaches like container homes. I look forward to seeing more local developers contribute to our city’s growth with the same spirit and determination.
Giselle Bella is an independent contributing writer as a Community Activist and Historical Researcher
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